The Band's History
Cleethorpes Band has a long history of 130 years in the town. Owen Harden has been researching our roots and has kindly contributed these articles: -
Memory
My earliest memories of Cleethorpes Borough Band, as it was then known, are of joining it in January 1960. The bandroom, at this time, was situated in the Cleethorpes Council yard in Poplar Road. This building was a dismal place, full of cobwebs and soot from the 'heating system' which was a coke stove in the centre of the room. The stove was surrounded by old twin bus seats on which the few players sat and hopefully survived (if they didn't pass out from inhaling smoke and coke fumes) until the end of practice, when the room had just begun to warm up! Thankfully within a year things had improved somewhat as can be seen in this Evening Telegraph article of 1961.
The article provides an interesting start to a history of the main events of the band.
Above is an early photograph of the band (date and details of the players are, as yet, unknown). The picture was featured in a Hobbies for All Exhibition at the Cleethorpes Memorial Hall in the 1970s. The name D. Humberstone is written on the back of the original picture. Any further information regarding this photograph would be gratefully received.
Memory 2
Following my commencing article of the bands history I must first say that my comments referring to the state of the band room at that time were a statement of fact and in no way a reflection on the band members. Indeed in 1947, their foresight, dedication and hard work had secured the purchase of their own bandroom. The building was an ex-army war department pre-fabricated sectional design purchased at auction, on the bands behalf, by Ted Bland for 18 shillings per section. The structure consisted of thirty sections and with transport costs resulted in a total purchase price of approximately thirty pounds. With the help of the borough council a site was made available for it within the council yard and a lease negotiated at a 'peppercorn' ground rent of one shilling per year (5p in today's money). These events marked an important milestone in the bands history as the new bandroom was to be its first permanent home and served us well for over fifty years. Three band members in particular deserve a mention at this point, being foremost in the negotiations. They were Ted Bland (cornet), Jimmy Cox (Baritone) and Cecil Wilson (Percussion). The efforts of all band members then turned to the gigantic task of laying a concrete foundation and erecting the building onto it.
A copy of the plan for the building and the planning permission documents, too large for inclusion here, will be added to the band archives
Most details of the old photograph included with the previous article have now been unearthed from the band archive and information given by Ted Bland. The date of the picture was between 1925 and 1926. The two cups shown were won at a quartet, March and Selection contest held in Hull. Ted believes that the photo was taken in front of Cleethorpes Bowling Club. The names of several members have been identified as (from left):
Back Row
- J Stoilery
- A Cross
- C Hart
- P Lee
- D Wilson
- E Bye
- B Rycroft
- A Webster
Middle Row
- ?
- ?
- E Smith
- T Gamble
- ?
- R Blow
Front Row
- B Godley
- J Blow
- A Cook
- J Croft
- ?
- J Priest
- C Appleyard
- E Grey
- ?
In 1923 The Band Entered The National Band Festival held at the Crystal Palace. A copy of the programme cover and a list of bands, including Cleethorpes Silver, competing for "The Cassell's Saturday Journal" Challenge Shield are shown below.
Memory 3
The 18th July 1953 marked a special social event when the band formed a guard of honour following the marriage of John and Noreen Lofthouse. John was a Cornet player in the band (Noreen was not a band member or a brass player!). Ted Bland was John's Best Man and supplied the following photograph along with the players' names: -
Left to right: Roy Tinker, Roy Norton, Jimmy Cox, Moss Wyatt, Cliff Dawes, John Lofthouse, Noreen Lofthouse, Russ Barnes (BM), Peter Barnes, George Hart, John Barnes, Terry Porter, Catherine Haigh.
Many Brass Bands in this country are made up from families and friends. At this time the Barnes family had given sterling service to Cleethorpes Band for a great many years.
Also around 1953, the band competed in the Midland area qualifiers for the National Brass Band Championships in the fourth section. The band was placed second but later upgraded to first following the disqualification of Croft Silver Band.
The National Finals were held at Kensington Town Hall in London. Although the band played at the contest the final placing is unknown.
The next photograph shows the band rehearsing in the bandroom around 1960. Albert Weston is now the Band Master. Note that the soot and cobwebs have, in the main, been removed. The bus seats have gone and the heating stove has been moved away from its former central position. Although a new fluorescent lighting system was being installed at this time (as can be seen above the cornets) part of the old lighting system of bare lamps strung together with thin flex was still in use above the Bass section!
The music was stored in cardboard boxes in the corner of the room. Later, a library was built there along with an instrument store in the opposite corner.
Left to right: John Davis, Bill Buffam Jnr, Albert Weston, John Barnes, unknown, unknown, David Hubbard, Mike Buffam, unknown, unknown, Sid Major, A Hubbard, Bill Wilson, unknown, Ron Dobbs, unknown, George Thompson, Bill Whitehead, Barry Whitehead, Harry Chapman, Joe Fuller, Paul Lown, Bill Gollings, ? McRoberts, Bill Buffam Snr.
Thanks to David Hubbard (a front row cornet player at that time) for supplying the photograph.